Fate is Made of Choices
by akumu keayo
Summary: Despite the entirety of the world wanting Sasuke dead, Naruto and Sasuke have been meeting secretly for some time. This day is different. Sasuke stares down a dark answer as he stands on the edge of his limits. Naruto reaches out, but perhaps pushes too far. The two shinobi have two very different choices to make. Someone will inevitably be hurt, no matter their paths. Who'll fall?


Once upon a time there were two tards who, whenever they txted, their conversations would always end up as a narusasu/sasunaru RP of some kind. (Sometimes it would be Itachi and Sasuke, but anyway.) Actually, we still do that, so it's not really all that once upon a time. Yes, me an' teme RP a lot. And one of those textual romps was so incredibly epic, I promised that I would turn it into a fic.

Now, being an Uzumaki, I keep my promises. Eventually. So, nothing but a whole year later, here it is! Look teme, I even put it on here for ya. And to all of you I don't know, or did know, or whatever... To my audience! I hope you enjoy, too. This hurt.

-we interrupt this story with a special news bulletin: No one gives a shit about disclaimers. The end. Take the Fair Use clause of the Copyright Act of Fuck All and apply it directly to butt. Rub it in real good. America's elite will fuck you in the pee hole anyway.-

* * *

It had started out as it always did. Naruto and Sasuke had met in some nondescript nowhere land, like they had so many times before; every country was out to kill one man, and the other was given orders to join in the killing. Their chance—sometimes planned—meetings were typically nice in the beginning, happy even. It took a long time, but the two ninja had even started to banter as strongly as they had back when the world made more sense. Naruto and Sasuke's bond was strengthening, mending. The Uchiha was still nowhere near convinced to come back home, but every time they spotted each other, their hearts simultaneously leaped in irritatingly fluttery freak-outs inside their chests. Of course, Sasuke was known as the master at hiding those things, but Naruto could tell. He always could.

These meetings rarely ended nicely. Sasuke would snap back to reality, Naruto would kick himself for ruining the moment—healthy helpings of angst for both parties really. In the end, though, they always parted ways wanting more.

This time was different. This day was different. Sasuke was standing at the edge of a cliff. Empty eyes somehow boiling with sadness stared down at the impossibly long drop below. It looked so, so tempting. Naruto stood four too many strides behind his friend, every nerve on edge.

The worst part was? Naruto didn't know what to do. It probably—no, definitely—hadn't helped that Naruto had practically given him every reason to jump not thirty seconds earlier.

"_Konoha hates me, everyone hates me! _You_ hate me..."_

"_Well that's your own damn fault! You've been doin _pretty horrible_ things-ttebayo!" _

Sasuke had neared the edge of the cliff then. _"...N-no don't jump! I...don't really...I still care about you!"_

He had meant it with every ounce of blood he had in his heart. Naruto did care. Sasuke wasn't convinced that Naruto cared enough. Naruto hadn't said that he _didn't_ hate him. He was crashing fast, barreling towards his death on the one-way path he had chosen. And it was catching up with him.

Naruto snapped back to the present just as Sasuke looked back at the blond. "I know Naruto!" he croaked with a pained glare. "D-don't you think... I know what I've done is horrible! But it doesn't change it!" He turned back to the cliff like it was his only way out of the worst possible Catch-22. "I-I don't—..."

"Then **start** ta change things! You can't take it back, but you can change the future! Maybe you can't make things right... But running away is even worse! Ta do all that and just drop off...I mean, there's still differences you can make-ttebayo. You're still... If you feel bad then you're not totally un-helpable," Naruto paused helplessly, trying for a smile. "But don't give up."

"They'll kill me Naru, you know that. If any of them find me, I'm dead." Sasuke contemplated something dark and lonely for a moment before hiding behind his long bangs. He whispered brokenly, "Kill me..."

"I..." Naruto shook his head so hard, it almost hurt more than his chest. "I can't. You know I can't. I won't kill you, Sasuke. Either you live, or we die together. You'll always be on the run, but that's better than killing everyone, isn't it?" he finished, scooting closer to the edge, to Sasuke.

"Do your **job** Naruto. Be the good little Konoha shinobi and kill the bad guy." The lost shinobi glared fiercely at the ground, hands fisted and shaking. He deflated, unable to hold onto the anger. Sasuke raised his arms. "Just... Just do it... I... I mean, if I have to be killed by someone... I want it to be you..." He closed his eyes and felt for the edge of the Earth, his hands at his sides, completely open for any attack.

Naruto lurched forward but stopped himself. If he got too close too fast, Sasuke may just take the dive. "...I can't... You're still... You don't have ta die, Sasuke. There are other ways ta stop this-ttebayo! You can help! You won't be thanked for it but... The only choices aren't cliff or me! Just... I don't know, just not this."

Spurred on by the blond's answer, Sasuke took one last, deliberate step back. Half of a foot was now hanging beyond the cliff side, into the chilled air. A simple breeze could have given him the final push.

"I-I can't Naruto." He sighed, angry. "I can't help those people. I **hate** them too much." Again, the anger slipped through his tired fingers. Sasuke stepped forward and grabbed a kunai from Naruto's pouch. He pressed it into the blond's hand. Desperate. "Please Naruto. I just want to be killed by the only person in this world who still cares." Sasuke buried his face in Naruto's strong shoulder and mumbled barely above his breath, "I just don't want to die alone..."

That hit hard. It hit square in the chest, and Naruto was struck speechless. The world went out of focus and spun around him. He gaped for some long seconds until forcing out words. "...I..." The shorter shinobi hung his unarmed arm around Sasuke's shoulder in a sad, desperate mockery of a hug. "...Don't hate me. ...Bastard," Naruto managed to shake out. He positioned the kunai against his friend's, his old nakama's, _Sasuke's_ sharp back, directly over his heart. If he couldn't save Sasuke from himself, he could at least save him from everyone else. He could do this for him.

Naruto's shoulder was getting wet, but Sasuke's voice was steady as ever, even though he was scared shitless. "I could never hate you Naruto and it's my downfall." He clutched the back of Naruto's black shirt, waiting for the pain, and whispered, "I'm so sorry it turned out like this..."

The blond's free hand found its way into Sasuke's hair, holding him. He took a moment, glad that he didn't have to say this, do this while seeing Sasuke's face. Looking him in the eyes. He whispered, "Me too." A stalling breath, and, "Goodbye, Sasuke. I'll try ta— I'll make it—..." Naruto grabbed the kunai with both hands, leaving so many impossible things unsaid—he couldn't find the words anyway—and slammed it into Sasuke's flesh with a grunt, as far as it would go.

Sasuke's breath hitched as the kunai hit, and a little whimper escaped even though he tried to remain silent. "Th-thank you." The grip on his shirt loosened and he fell to the ground. "N-naru-to."

Blood pumped over Naruto's hands, painting the both of them red. The blond grimaced and dropped to the dirt to catch him, Sasuke's heavy head and half of his body in his now vermillion lap. He shook out, "Fuck. Haha... I think that's the first time you've thanked me for anything-ttebayo..."

Sasuke smiled through the blood in his mouth and swallowed shallowly. "S-so it is... Heh." He painfully coughed up blood and silent curses, focusing everything on Naruto as the world started to go fuzzy. "S-sorry. N-Naru... I g-gotta go..." Dark lashes fell as his eyes went half closed. He was fighting it but it hurt so bad.

Stinging mist threatened to spill from desperate blue eyes. A red hand carded into Sasuke's dark hair and held on, his other painfully fisting Sasuke's white shirt. "Yeah. Yeah I know. I... Just stop talking you bastard... I'm...I'm right here."

He would never be alone again.

A half-choked sobbing laugh, a shuddering breath, and Sasuke's eyes slid closed. "N..."

Naruto hunched over Sasuke protectively, closely. He didn't know if the stupid duck could hear him anymore, but fuck it, it was his last chance. Tears falling on Sasuke's still face, the blond spoke in his ear, "I loved you y'know. And somehow I always will, I think. I'm sorry." A shuddering breath. "Sasuke."

Naruto Uzumaki stayed like that for he didn't even know how long. He sobbed silently over the corpse of his closest friend, his brother, his...hell, _Sasuke_, fuck that stupid last name anyway. He held on to him until Sasuke wasn't warm anymore. He wiped the dried blood from Sasuke's open lips. He threw his bloodied kunai as hard and far as he could and watched it arc over the edge of the cliff. Bitter tears running down his dirt-caked cheeks all the while, Naruto created shadow clones, and together, they scraped their fingernails in the dirt, digging bare-handed. A deep grave waited for him.

Carefully, tenderly, Naruto lowered Sasuke down a chain of clones into the grave. The real Naruto waited at the bottom. The clones dissipated, and he was alone.

Naruto Uzumaki buried Sasuke Uchiha that day. Well into the night, dirt was kicked back into the hole. He was gonna make sure Sasuke would be safe if it killed him.

He spared no more words over Sasuke's grave. There was nothing he could voice that mattered, anyway. They were never a pair much for words.

Naruto Uzumaki left their cliff that day. He stuffed his hitai-ate into his pocket. For their whole encounter, Naruto hadn't been wearing it. Numbly walking away, if he knew only one thing about Sasuke...

He would never be alone again.

... ... ... ... ... ...

"He accepted disgrace in the place of honor, and hate in the place of love. And despite all that, Itachi died with a smile on his face."

Sasuke did not.


End file.
